Suggestions for an inexpensive P Bass with a Jazz neck

[Minininjarob]

Love my p bass. It’s perfect for a lot of songs I do but I wouldn’t mind keeping it downtuned and having another bass for more delicate tunes where I need to move around the fretboard more with my tiny hands. 
So are there any cheaper basses that have this, or is as simple as buying a P bass and a jazz neck and swapping them around? Are the necks mostly compatible with each other?

Wouid prefer a Fender or Squire but open to thoughts about anything else. 
Budget is maybe around £500 but may mod it for a bit more after the initial purchase. 

[miles'tone]

Squier Sonic P. I have one. £150 of awesome 👌 

Ok, I installed a Lollar P pickup because I already had one but it was fine enough stock tbh.

So on paper that's £300 of awesome that now sounds as good as any P out there imho. 

[Terry M.]

15 minutes ago, Minininjarob said:

or is as simple as buying a P bass and a jazz neck and swapping them around? Are the necks mostly compatible with each other?

I did the opposite some years ago. Stuck a P neck on a J body. They're compatible with each other if we're talking about Fender/Squier.

[ghostwheel]

Sire P7 would do. I'm just not quite sure whether it’s still considered as inexpensive. 

[HeadlessBassist]

The only stock FMIC Precision Bass with a thin neck I can think of is the Nate Mendel Road Worn signature model like mine, but you're not going to get one of those for less than about £8-900. Nut width on these is 1.615", which is not a million miles away from the Jazz's 1.5". Most modern C-neck Precisions are very close at 1.625".

 

The Sire P5 (and P7) are a little wider at 1.653", but there's not a lot in it. What really matters is the thumb-fingers thickness. Go to a store and try a few to see what fits your hand...

 

My other suggestion would be to buy a genuine Fender neck. The roasted Jazz neck is usually around £3-400 new. Which Precision do you have, btw?

 

 

Edited 6 hours ago by HeadlessBassist

[fretmeister]

I put one together - a no-name P body from the classifieds and bought a real Fender Jazz neck (Mexican).

I had tuners and a pickup already but I needed a pickguard.

[gjones]

Recently I bought a very good Chinese, Jazz Bass neck, off Ebay, for £76 including postage. It arrived within about 10 days, all the way from China.

 

I wasn't expecting much but it really is excellent.

 

Even has a cheeky Fender decal on it.

 

I've also spent a lot more from a company in the States, called Stratosphere, for a used, Japanese Fender Jazz Bass neck. It was also very good but it would cost you about £400/£500 these days with the cost of postage and duty.

 

I'd go for the Chinese option if I were you.

Edited 6 hours ago by gjones

[Minininjarob]

1 hour ago, miles'tone said:

Squier Sonic P. I have one. £150 of awesome 👌 

Ok, I installed a Lollar P pickup because I already had one but it was fine enough stock tbh.

So on paper that's £300 of awesome that now sounds as good as any P out there imho. 

Whats the neck like? 

[Minininjarob]

56 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

The only stock FMIC Precision Bass with a thin neck I can think of is the Nate Mendel Road Worn signature model like mine, but you're not going to get one of those for less than about £8-900. Nut width on these is 1.615", which is not a million miles away from the Jazz's 1.5". Most modern C-neck Precisions are very close at 1.625".

 

The Sire P5 (and P7) are a little wider at 1.653", but there's not a lot in it. What really matters is the thumb-fingers thickness. Go to a store and try a few to see what fits your hand...

 

My other suggestion would be to buy a genuine Fender neck. The roasted Jazz neck is usually around £3-400 new. Which Precision do you have, btw?

 

 

Thanks that’s really helpful. I have a Player model, but I have a Musicman Sterling USA which has an amazing neck and I’d like to have the same on a P without messing with mine. 

[Minininjarob]

37 minutes ago, gjones said:

Recently I bought a very good Chinese, Jazz Bass neck, off Ebay, for £76 including postage. It arrived within about 10 days, all the way from China.

 

I wasn't expecting much but it really is excellent.

 

Even has a cheeky Fender decal on it.

 

I've also spent a lot more from a company in the States, called Stratosphere, for a used, Japanese Fender Jazz Bass neck. It was also very good but it would cost you about £400/£500 these days with the cost of postage and duty.

 

I'd go for the Chinese option if I were you.

Got a link for that Chinese neck?

[Minininjarob]

1 hour ago, miles'tone said:

Squier Sonic P. I have one. £150 of awesome 👌 

Ok, I installed a Lollar P pickup because I already had one but it was fine enough stock tbh.

So on paper that's £300 of awesome that now sounds as good as any P out there imho. 

I’ve just checked the specs and it has a 1.5” neck so that’s Jazz size yeah?? I’m thinking a blue one and swapping the hardware to all black, new electrics and a nice pickup set (if the standard ones I don’t like) and that’ll be amazing. For maybe £250 all in minus new pickups. That’ll look amazing. 
Need to go and check one out ASAP. 

[ghostwheel]

1 hour ago, HeadlessBassist said:

The Sire P5 (and P7) are a little wider at 1.653"

Sire P7 has the width at the nut of 38mm according to their web-site as well as Thomann's one. 

[miles'tone]

1 hour ago, Minininjarob said:

I’ve just checked the specs and it has a 1.5” neck so that’s Jazz size yeah?? I’m thinking a blue one and swapping the hardware to all black, new electrics and a nice pickup set (if the standard ones I don’t like) and that’ll be amazing. For maybe £250 all in minus new pickups. That’ll look amazing. 
Need to go and check one out ASAP. 

Yes, 1.5" at the nut is Jazz size. It's very comfy to play 👍🏼

 

[gjones]

2 hours ago, Minininjarob said:

Got a link for that Chinese neck?

 

The seller for my neck no longer has any for sale.

 

I suspect they may be made by a Fender/Squier manufacturer in China and one or two of them disappear out the back door.

 

But these look like the exact same ones https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?item=177280017838&rt=nc&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l170197&_ssn=ningbohante20231205

Edited 3 hours ago by gjones

[fretmeister]

The cheaper the neck the more work it is likely to need so sometimes that £50 ebay neck might need £150 worth of fretwork to get it playing right.

 

Mind you, sometimes a real Fender neck will need that as well.

[gjones]

49 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

The cheaper the neck the more work it is likely to need so sometimes that £50 ebay neck might need £150 worth of fretwork to get it playing right.

 

Mind you, sometimes a real Fender neck will need that as well.

 

I agree. I decided to take a punt and I was surprised, as the neck is pretty good. No sharp fret ends or anything. The action is not bad but could probably do with a bit of a tweak by a guitar tech to make it 'really' good.

[police squad]

5 hours ago, gjones said:

Recently I bought a very good Chinese, Jazz Bass neck, off Ebay, for £76 including postage. It arrived within about 10 days, all the way from China.

 

I wasn't expecting much but it really is excellent.

 

Even has a cheeky Fender decal on it.

 

I've also spent a lot more from a company in the States, called Stratosphere, for a used, Japanese Fender Jazz Bass neck. It was also very good but it would cost you about £400/£500 these days with the cost of postage and duty.

 

I'd go for the Chinese option if I were you.

I have done this too

2 x ebay necks and one from Aliexpress

of the two I've fitted both nuts were cut well and they set up really well

I'm going on a Crimson guitars course, to learn how to refret/ level and set up etc and will take them along to level the frets (but I don't think they need it, they play great)

I've got some unknown bodies from an auction and used one. Turned out ok

Bought Northwest guitars own brand tuners and bridge and a tonerider pickup, it gets gigged in the U2 tribute I'm in

[fretmeister]

I'd like to do a guitar course like that.

 

Would be very handy.